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Back Home Again in Indiana ... A Truly Magical Moment
(posted with permission from Susan B)
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a mammoth, two and a half-mile oval, surrounded on the inside and outside of the actual track in many areas with stands. On the Sunday prior to Memorial Day each year, over 300,000 fans fill those stands and the infield. As stated by a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel after the running of the 2008 Indy 500, it’s likely that at least a third of the fans on race day are there to see and hear the pre-race activities. Along with honoring our troops and veterans, the most important part of those events is that of Back Home Again in Indiana, as sung by the incomparable Jim Nabors.
For many years, former track announcer Tom Carnegie, introduced Jim this way .. “His voice has become an institution at this race. Our good friend, Jim Nabors, and Back Home Again in Indiana.” That announcement is continued today with similar words by current track announcer, Dave Calabro. And it’s true! Jim is our good friend, and we are his. During a pre-race interview at the 2009 Indy 500, several reporters talked to him about what it’s like to be at the race, especially what it is like to sing Back Home Again in Indiana. One of the reporters commented that Jim is “Part of the lore of the Indianapolis 500,” to which Jim responded in his typical gracious way that he was “Very blessed, very rewarded, that the people of Indiana have accepted me as one of theirs,” adding, “I’m very grateful.” It’s an understatement. Jim is indeed “one of us,” and the love and admiration for him extends now through thirty-one times of his rendition of Back Home Again in Indiana. It is easily the most recognized and treasured opening of any major sports event. Other events have openings that change each year. The Indy 500 has kept the same schedule for the pre-race ceremonies for many years. No one can even imagine it being otherwise. Jim Nabors is definitely a tradition with the Indy 500, as the reporters stated to him. He said that he “Never expected to be part of a tradition,” but is “thrilled to be part of it.”
The chilling, haunting playing of Taps, a heart-felt invocation, and the fondness for God Bless America (sung by Florence Henderson), the playing of the official State of Indiana song (On the Banks of the Wabash), all add to the excitement as it builds toward that one special moment before the start of the Indy 500. But when Jim and Back Home Again in Indiana are announced, there is literally an explosion of excitement from the fans gathered inside the track. You can hear it. You can feel it. We hear Dave Calabro say, “Race fans, this day is made up of magical moments. This is a magical moment, Back Home Again in Indiana ... our dear friend, Mr. Jim Nabors.” The reporters asked Jim if he could feel the emotion of the crowd? He said that he definitely could, and added as well, “You get pretty nervous when you look out at that crowd. It’s pretty wild. There’s nothing like it.”
In the IMS interview discussed above, Jim told the story of the first time he sang the song, which was in 1972, when he was here as a guest of Mr. Bill Harrah, and thought he was merely going to see the race. Track owner, Mr. Anton “Tony” Hulman, Jr., approached Jim before the opening ceremonies and said “Would you like to sing the song?” Believing that Mr. Hulman meant the Star Spangled Banner, Jim said, “Well, sure, OK.” He was a bit taken aback when the Purdue University Band director told him that the song he’d be singing was Back Home Again in Indiana. He knew the song, having heard it all his life, but he wasn’t sure of the words. So he wrote them on one of his hands. Without an intro of any kind, let alone a rehearsal, he sang it. He’s been doing it for most of the last 37 years, missing only 7 times.
I’ve been at the Indy 500 and have been part of that experience many years, and there is nothing to equal it. For those of us from Indiana, it definitely is emotional. For those who are not from Indiana, it makes them Hoosiers--even if only for a few moments. People by the millions listen on the radio and watch on television. For those in the Armed Forces, it is an especially poignant time. For that brief period of a few seconds, Jim makes Indiana everyone’s home. At a time when the world knows too much negativity, too much tension and pain, we are a little richer for the singing of something that many of us hold dear, by someone we care a great deal about. It only takes place once a year, so we hold it close to our hearts from one time to the next.
There’s just one way to say this -- Thank you, Jim. You’re a part of so many lives. It’s my hope that through this website you’ll understand that a little more, and that others who view the site will be pleased to see a very public venue for thanking you for all you’ve given us.
Thanks to Dave Calabro, Sports Director, WTHR-Indianapolis, Channel 13 for the intro to the song.
Back home again in Indiana,
And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candlelight, still shining bright,
Through the sycamores for me.
The new-mown hay sends all its fragrance
From the fields I used to roam.
When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash,
Then I long for my Indiana home
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| Jim Nabors performing at the Indianapolis 500 accompanied by the Purdue University "All American" Marching Band in the 1990's. Photo by: P.May K.Emerson from the back cover of the CD: Back Home In Indiana. (available for purchase at the Purdue University "All American" Marching Band Website - Click Here!) |
